"My title changes tomorrow but for Apple community never will": Tim Cook bids emotional farewell as Apple CEO

Tim Cook stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of Apple on Monday, sending "lots of love to the Apple community" on his last day as CEO and stating that they have been a constant source of inspiration.

Tim Cook stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of Apple on Monday, sending "lots of love to the Apple community" on his last day as CEO and stating that they have been a constant source of inspiration. In a short and meaningful post on X, Tim Cook expressed his gratitude and said he is ready for the next chapter.

He said his love for the Apple community will never change. "Sending lots of love to the Apple community on my last day as CEO. My title changes tomorrow, but the love I have for the Apple community never will. Thank you for being a constant source of inspiration. My gratitude is endless, and I'm excited for the next chapter!" he said.

Cook relinquished his responsibilities as Apple's chief executive following a 15-year tenure at the helm. Commencing September 1, he assumes the position of executive chairman, bringing to a close a transformative epoch that witnessed the corporation scale significantly beyond its flagship iPhone.

Having assumed the role of CEO in August 2011 as the successor to co-founder Steve Jobs, Cook oversaw the broadening of the enterprise's hardware portfolio, substantial scaling of its services division, and the debut of several cornerstone innovations. Notable hardware releases during his stewardship included the Apple Watch in 2015, AirPods in 2016, and the Vision Pro headset in 2024. Concurrently, the technology titan executed the transition of its Mac computer lineup away from Intel architecture to proprietary Apple Silicon processors, while service revenues evolved into a vital pillar of the enterprise's financial model.

Cook's administration oversaw accelerated commercial expansion within the Indian market, highlighted by the inauguration of Apple's inaugural branded retail outlets in Mumbai and Delhi during 2023. John Ternus will succeed Cook as chief executive on September 1. He has directed the firm's hardware engineering division since 2021 and exerted decisive influence over product evolution.

Apple Inc. had announced in April this year that Tim Cook will step down as Chief Executive Officer of Apple Inc. and take over as executive chairman of the company's board, with John Ternus set to become the new CEO from September 1. The decision was approved by Apple's Board of Directors as part of a long-planned leadership transition

In a community letter to the company, Cook wrote, "For the past 15 years I've started just about every morning the same way. I open my email and I read notes I received the day before from Apple's users all over the world. You share little pieces of your lives with me and tell me things you want me to know about how Apple has touched you. About the moment your mom was saved by her Apple Watch. About the perfect selfie you captured at the summit of a mountain that seemed impossible to climb. You thank me for the ways Mac has changed what you can do at work and sometimes give me a hard time because something you care about isn't working like it should." "We announced that I'm taking the next staep in my journey at Apple. Over the coming months I will be transitioning into a new role, leaving the CEO job behind in September and becoming Apple's executive chairman. A new person will be stepping into what I know in my heart is the best job in the world. That leader is John Ternus, a brilliant engineer and thinker who has spent the past 25 years building the Apple products our users love so much, obsessed with every detail, focused on every possible way we can make something better, bolder, more beautiful, and more meaningful. He is the perfect person for the job," the letter read. Tim Cook joined Apple in 1998. (ANI)